


The Color of Icing Sugar

by unkissed



Series: The Color of Deception [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Sex, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 14:28:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3854146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unkissed/pseuds/unkissed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Ted R. Lupin, Hogwarts’ new Transfiguration teacher, wakes before dawn on the thirtieth of April, another year older.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Color of Icing Sugar

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to ColorfulStabwound for friendship, support, and inspiration.
> 
> For Teddy, the blushing birthday boy.

 

 

Professor Ted R. Lupin, Hogwarts’ new Transfiguration teacher, wakes before dawn on the thirtieth of April, another year older.

 

It’s still dark outside the stained glass windows of his private quarters and the whole castle is still wrapped in tranquility and slumber.  Teddy isn’t quite ready to wake up, and on a normal day, he’d go right back to sleep. But it isn’t a normal day – Teddy had become quite aware of that the moment somebody stirred beside him in his bed.

 

While all the students are nestled safely in their four-posters, tucked away behind the curtains of their respective house colors, dreaming of things both lovely and horrible that children oft dream about, there is one boy who is out of his bed.

 

You see, James Sirius Potter is not in his own bed, but in Teddy’s.  And if he’s going to get away with sleeping in a professor’s room, he needs to creep back to Gryffindor Tower before the school awakes.  He’s been sharing Teddy’s bed at least three times a week since October. Obviously, he’s never been caught – not even close.  Being Head Boy certainly has its advantages.

 

When James wakes up to the vibration of his enchanted wristwatch, he’s usually courteous enough to sneak away soundlessly so as not to rouse his companion, who doesn’t get nearly enough sleep as it is, _poor thing_. But today, James doesn’t slide out from under the warm nest of goose down bed covers – he slides deeper beneath them, his head disappearing from the pillow that he shares with Teddy.

 

Teddy is barely conscious when he feels James’ hand slip into the front of his pajama bottoms.  He’s brought fully and blissfully out of the arms of slumber when James’ lips wrap around his awakening need.  Teddy hasn’t opened his eyes yet.  He’s picturing what James’ smart mouth looks like gliding along his hardening length and it puts a sleepy little smirk on his lips.

 

The mourning doves that roost on Teddy’s windowsill begin to coo, signaling dawn’s first light.  But Teddy won’t rush James today, even if they are treading on dangerous territory.  He trusts that if James is caught in the corridors at this obscenely early hour so far from the Gryffindor dorms, he’ll be able to charm his way out of trouble, just like the way James is charming Teddy out of his pajamas.

 

Teddy groans quietly with disappointment when James’ mouth comes off with an unheard, wet pop.  James’ head peeks out from the top of the bedcovers as he climbs onto Teddy and straddles him at the waist.  James’ hair is an endearing mess and it inspires Teddy to tangle his fingers in it as they kiss languidly, as sluggishly as this time of day deserves.  Teddy tastes the bitter sweetness of his own pre-come on James tongue and it makes him growl softly, deep in his throat.

 

Teddy suspects that James has been awake a lot longer than he thought, because he’s somehow already naked and slicked wet in all the right places.  Their morning erections slide fluidly against each other with every sinuous movement of James’ hips. With a few deft movements, James takes Teddy inside of him as easily as somebody who’s been doing this for a lot longer than James has.  The delightful tightness of James body is a heavenly reminder of what a novice James really is, albeit a precocious one.  Before the sun peeks out from behind the hills of the Scottish Highlands, Teddy is getting the birthday fuck of his life, much sooner in the day than he had expected.

 

James grinds down hard on a particularly forceful upward thrust and moans throatily into the crook of Teddy’s neck. “ _Fucking hell, Teddy.”_  

 

Teddy tries to quiet him with a whispered, hush, but it’s no use.  James does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, regardless of the consequences. It matters little that it’s Teddy’s birthday – not that this is the least bit unpleasant for Teddy.

 

“You’re a motherfucking beast for an old geezer,” James purrs, eliciting breathy giggles between them.

 

James sits up to drive them hard and fast towards the inevitable.  Teddy raptly watches James’ bliss spilling out through his own tight fingers. James’ fringe falls in a shamble of sweat-dampened strands over chestnut eyes that stare down into Teddy’s soul.  In those eyes, Teddy sees love and lust and everything in between, and it makes his heart swell enough to burst.  James is beautiful and vulnerable and divine and immortal and absolutely _his_ in this moment. 

 

Teddy knows that James would give him everything if only Teddy would allow it.  He digs his fingertips into James’ hips and gives him as much as he can until he’s spent. Teddy wonders if it will ever be enough.

 

 

Teddy is still blushing at breakfast, the pink tinge of his cheeks reaching all the way to the tips of his fringe as he steals a glance from his lofty position at the staff table in the direction of the Gryffindors. James, bold as ever, raises a challenging brow and mouths the words, _What are you looking at?_ with the sort of expression that says he knows exactly what Teddy is looking at.  Teddy bites his bottom lip to keep from giggling.

 

Birthdays never pass unnoticed in Hogwarts. Not when each one is acknowledged at the morning announcements.   Head Master Ogilvie makes a bigger deal of Teddy’s twenty-fourth than Teddy would like. As it is, he gets enough unwanted attention as Hogwarts’ youngest, least tenured, i.e., least broken-in professor.

 

Whenever a birthday is celebrated, the headmaster leads the school in a chorus of _Happy Birthday To You_.  Professor Lupin is afforded the same ‘privilege’ this morning, much to his humiliation - Because, he’s not just amongst colleagues and students, he’s amongst his adopted family. And when somebody in the Potter-Weasley clan has a birthday, they get ‘treated’ to a modified version of the song.

 

James stands up at the head of the Gryffindor table, rouses the entire Great Hall to their feet, and leads the loud, raucous chorus to ‘honor’ Teddy’s birthday.  Teddy’s hair deepens to a miserable shade of humiliated magenta.

 

_Happy birthday you tool_

_Happy birthday you tool_

_Happy birthday dear wanker_

_Happy birthday you tool_

For as long as Teddy can remember, the Weasleys and Potters have gotten away with singing this rather rude song by virtue of family tradition and brotherhood.  Who in their right mind would deny the children of the heroes of the wizarding world a light-hearted, albeit obnoxious, song?

 

Teddy tries to look grateful with a humble smile and a gracious little wave.  In a sense, he is grateful.  His job would be a lot harder if he was not surrounded by the people who have always loved him. It’s just so damn embarrassing to endure the Potter-Weasley brand of love when Teddy is trying desperately to gain respect as a teacher.

 

Come lunchtime, it becomes apparent that Teddy’s birthday is going to be an all-day ordeal.  Teddy fields an alarming amount of birthday wishes and cards from people he never expected to extend such kind gestures, let alone care at all whether or not the Transfiguration professor had a good day.  Most notable are the Slytherins.  He’d never been able to shake the feeling that Hogwarts’ most cunning would like to devour him.  Teddy wonders if Albus is behind today’s reprieve from Slytherin sass.

 

At dinner, James sits at his rightful place in the Head Boy’s seat at the staff table, between the Head Girl and Teddy. Teddy plops down into his chair with a weary sigh.

 

He leans close to James, but not too close, and mutters, “Gods, turning twenty-four is hard.  I feel impossibly tired and impossibly old.”

 

James replies with a sage nod. “Right. It’s your advanced age. Your exhaustion has nothing to do with your early morning activities.”

 

Teddy snorts a laugh and then glances nervously at the other professors, worried that he and James seem more like school mates than professor and student.  Teddy often wonders if he is trying too hard to appear older and wiser. His colleagues don’t even look up from their meals or turn away from their own conversations.

 

Teddy lowers his voice and asks, “Were those _early morning activities_ my birthday present then?  Or can I expect more later?”

 

James smirks and replies with a question of his own, “I don’t know – can you handle it, old man?”

 

Teddy’s hand slips beneath the table to rest furtively on top of James’ thigh.  He whispers, hoping that his closeness to James’ ear does not appear too intimate, “Just being alone with you is a gift.”

 

“While I admit that I am indeed a gift from the gods, you’re getting a proper present, Teddy.”  The devious grin on James’ lips both intrigues and worries Teddy.

 

During pudding, a large cake, decorated with an abundance of icing sugar swirls to match Teddy’s turquoise curls, appears at the center of the staff table where Ogilvie usually sits. There are more candles than Teddy’s age warrants, and he wonders if it was an aesthetic decision by the elves, a diplomatic decision by the Head Master (to keep Teddy’s age vague), or a subtle joke.

 

Teddy bows his head humbly in thanks as color blooms high on his cheeks again.  The birthday song is sung yet again, this time with the Potter-Weasley rendition drowning out the traditional one.  Teddy blows out a few candles ceremoniously and puts out the rest with his wand, for he hasn’t enough breath to extinguish the lot. 

 

He turns to the Head Master and says, “Thank you, sir. You really didn’t have to. But I am grateful that you did. You’ve done so much to make me feel welcome at Hogwarts.”

 

Head Master Ogilvie puts a hand on Teddy’s shoulder and chuckles.  “If only I were so thoughtful!  I can’t take the credit, but I will take a slice.  You have the Head Boy to thank for the cake, not me.”

 

Teddy glances down the staff table to find James grinning proudly.  There’s enough cake for everyone that wants it.  Teddy returns to his seat next to James with a slice for each of them.  It’s vanilla sponge cake with butterscotch pudding inside - Teddy’s favorite. Of course, James would know that. But the real present is watching James slowly lick the blue icing sugar off his finger as a reminder of their _early morning activities_ , or perhaps a tease of what’s to come.

 

Much later, after James has finished his rounds and Teddy has corrected as much homework as his perpetual exhaustion allows, they’ll steal away to Teddy’s private quarters.  James will kiss him softly and Teddy will taste the lingering hint of butterscotch on James’ tongue.  He’ll thank James for the cake by divesting himself of his clothes and draping himself over James’ equally nude form.  They will kiss unhurriedly and roll against one another and make slow, lazy, friction.  But they’ll fall asleep before they get very far.

 

Teddy will feel closer to James than he ever has before, nestled in James’ arms, wrapped up in his love.  He will dream of a hundred candles - each candle, a year with James.  Years of unbreakable friendship.  Years of insurmountable joy. Years of incredible heartache. Years to overcome and years to grow closer. And a dozen lifetimes spent together after this one ends.

 

_Happy birthday, Teddy._


End file.
